Dispensers for collapsible tubes



Sept. 6, 1955 5. M. HILL DISPENSERS FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed Feb. 16,1954 JNVENTOR.

United States Patent DISPENSERS FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Glenn M. Hill,Kansas City, Kans.

Application February 16, 1954, Serial No. 410,617 Claims. 01. 222 100This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structuralrefinements in dispensers for collapsible tubes, and the principalobject of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the characterherein described, which may be conveniently and effectively employed fordispensing the contents of tubes of tooth paste, shaving cream,medicinal preparations, and the like, in an efficiently. controlledmanner, whereby to avoid wastage, drying out, or contamination, such asfrequently results when the contents of such tubes are dispensed in aconventional manner.

More specifically, this invention concerns itself with the provision ofan apparatus including a housing which is adapted to accommodate acollapsible tube therein; means in the bottom portion of the housingwhich perform the combined function of supporting the collapsible tubeand affording a dispensing passage for the contents ejected therefrom;and further means carried by the housing for collapsing the tube. Inaddition, the invention contemplates the provision of a removable capwhich is connected to the housing and affords a closure for thedispensing passage, so as to prevent leakage, drying out andcontamination when the apparatus is not in use.

The essence of novelty in the invention resides, on one hand, in thespecific structural arrangement of the combined tube supporting anddispensing member together with its closure cap, this member havingmeans for engaging and frictionally holding the customary screwthreadedneck of a collapsible tube, which means are automatically adjustable soas to accommodate tubes with necks of varying diameters andscrew-threads.

Also, novelty is being predicated on the tube collapsing means whichcooperate with the structure of the housing and with the arrangement ofthe tube supporting member, so that the tube from which material is tobe dispensed may be quickly and easily installed or removed.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity ofconstruction, in its efficient operation, in its durability, and in itsadaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and suchother objects and features as may become apparent as this specificationproceeds, the invention resides in the arrangement of parts and detailsof construction as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein likereference numerals are used to designate like parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional detail, on an enlarged scale, of thecombined tube supporting and dispensing member used in the invention;and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the tube collapsing shaft and handle.

With reference now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the dispenseris designated generally by the numeral 10 and embodies in itsconstruction a vertically 2,717,103 Patented Sept. 6, 1955 elongatedhousing 12 formed from any suitable material. This housing includes,inter alia, a back wall 14, a side wall 16, a bottom wall 18 and a frontwall or door 20 which is connected to the housing by suitable hinges 22.

The back wall 14 is provided with keyhole-shaped apertures 24 to receivesuitable nails or screws for mounting the entire device on a wall orsome other support. It will be also observed that the housing 12 is ofsuch size as to accommodate therein a collapsible tube 26, from whichmaterial is to be dispensed. The tube 26 is installed in the housing inan inverted position, that is, with the usual screw-threaded neck 28 ofthe tube extending downwardly.

A combined tube supporting and dispensing member 30, formed fromresilient material such as hard rubber, or the like, is carried by thebottom wall 18 of the housing, this member including a substantiallycylindrical body portion 32 provided with an annular groove 34. Thebottom wall 18 of the housing is formed with an opening 36 to receivethe body portion 32, so that-an annular portion of the bottom wall 18 atthe edge of the opening 36 is disposed in the groove 34 and the entiremember 30 is thereby held in position.

The member 30 also includes a depending neck 38 formed integrally withthe body portion 32 and disposed below the bottom wall 18. As will benoted, this neck is provided with a rounded enlarged head 40 which isreceivable in a removable closure cap 42, hereinafter described.

A bore 44 extends axially through the member 30 and affords adispensing'passage, the upper end of said bore being provided with acounterbore 46 which affords a socket for the screw-threaded neck 28 ofthe collapsible tube 26. Moreover, a plurality of vertically spaced,annular ribs 48 are provided in the counterbore 46 and are adapted tofrictionally engage the screw-threads of the neck 28, so as tosupportably attach the entire tube 26 to the member 30 and hold the tubein an inverted upright or vertical position in the housing.

Because of the inherent resiliency ofthe material from which the member30 is formed, the counterbore 46 and the ribs 48 will automaticallyadjust themselves so as to accommodate collapsible tubes with necks ofvarying diameters and screw-threads. In this regard it is to beunderstood that the ribs 48 are truly annular rather than helical inform, so that the screw-threaded neck 28 of the tube 26 may be readilyinserted in or removed from the counterbore 46 by a simple pushing orpulling action, as the case may be, and without any turning or rotationof the collapsible tube.

It may be also explained at this point that the intermediate portion 32aof the member 30 is larger than the opening 36 in the bottom wall 18,but is sufficiently small so that it may be compressed and passedthrough that opening when the member 30 is installed in the housing.

When the tube 26 is collapsed in a manner hereinafter to be described,the material ejected from the tube flows through the dispensing passage44 and outwardly therefrom, as will be clearly understood. Theaforementioned cap 42, which is also formed from resilient material suchas hard rubber, or the like, may be applied to the neck 38 so as toprovide a closure for the passage 44 and thereby prevent leakage,drying, or contamination of the material when the device is not beingused. The cap 42 is hollow so as to fit over the head 40 andfrictionally embrace the neck 38. A suitable flexible anchoring element50, such as a chain, or the like, is attached at one end to the cap 42while its other end is connected to a bracket 52 secured to the housing12, whereby the cap 42 is prevented from 3 being displaced or lost afterit is removed from the neck 38.

The means for collapsing the tube 26 consist of a substantially tubularguide 54 which projects laterally from the housing 12 and is movableupwardly and downwardly in-a vertical slot 56 formed in the side wall16. I To prevent the guide-54 from tilting or rocking in the slot 56, apair of spaced plates 58 are provided intermediate the ends of the guideand slidably engage the inner and outer surfaces-of the side wall 16.

A shaft 61) is rotatably and slidably mounted in the guide 54, the outerend of this shaft being provided with a suitable fingerpiece or. handle.62 while the inner end portionof the shaft is formed witha slot v64 toreceive the usual flattened .end portion of the collapsible tube 26.Thus, when the shaftis rotated, the collapsible tube will be woundaround the slotted end portion of the shaft and the contents of the tubewill be ejected while the shaft together with its guide 54 are graduallyshifted downwardly in the slot 56. A flange 66 is provided at the simplyinstalled in and removed from thehousing, the

shaft 60 may be slid laterally in the guide 54.as indicated by the arrow63, so that the slotted end portion of the shaft is retracted into theguide. In so doing, the slotted end portion of the shaft may be readilywithdrawn from the collapsible tube wound around it, and thescrewthreaded neck of the tube may then be easily pulled out from thecounterbore 46 of the member 30. Similarly, a new tube may be installedwith equal expediency.

However, means are provided for urging the slotted end portion of theshaft 69 to its projected, operative position, that is, to a positionwherein it engages the collapsible tube. These means consist of acompression spring 79 which is positioned on the shaft 60 in the guide54, one end of the spring abutting the closed outer end of the guide,while the other end of the spring bears against a washer 72 held on anintermediate portion of the shaft 63 by a pin '74. Thus, when the shaftis, pulled outwardly in the direction of the arrow 68, the spring 70 iscompressed and is in readiness toautomatically return the shaft to itsinitial position when outward pulling on the shaft is discontinued.

It ;is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will bereadily apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, furtherdescription thereof at this point is unnecessary. However, variousmodifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to whichthe invention relates, and accordingly, it is not desired to restrictthe spirit and scope of the invention other than by the limitationsexpressed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed as new is:

l. in a dispenser for collapsible tubes, the combination of a verticallyelongated housing adapted to receive therein an inverted collapsibletube, said housing including a bottom wall and a side wall provided witha vertically extending slot, a combined tube supporting and dispensingmember carried by said bottom wall, a substantially tubular guideprojecting laterally from said housing and movable upwardly anddownwardly in said slot, a shaft rotatably mounted in said guide andhaving a slotted inner end portion adapted to operatively'engage acollapsible tube for collapsing the same, and a handle provided at theouter end of said shaft.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with a pair of spacedplates provided on an intermediate portion of said guide and slidablyengaging the inner and outer surfaces of said side wall.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said shaft is slidable insaid guide whereby the slotted inner end portion thereof may beprojected and retracted in the guide, and means for sustaining saidslotted inner end portion of said shaft in its projected position.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said shaft is slidable insaid guide whereby the slotted inner end portion thereof may beprojected and retracted in the guide, and a spring positioned in theguide and urging said slotted inner end portion of said shaft to itsprojected position.

5. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with a collapsible tubeguiding flange provided at the inner end of said guide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,500,274 Brown Mar. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 109,222 Switzerland Feb.6, 1924 378,357 Great Britain Aug. 11, '1932

